Robin The Boy Wonder
by AJRedRobin
Summary: A retelling of the 1940's origin story of Robin: The Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson's story. This is an expanded version. I've taken each of the panels from the original comic and added additional text and dialog where needed. This is for Robin's 75th Anniversary, which will be next year. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N This is in celebration of the character Dick Grayson known as Robin: The Boy Wonder who later became Nightwing. This is for his **75****th**** Anniversary**, which by the way is next year! Note, in this story, there is no mention of Alfred. He isn't even on the scene yet. He comes in from a later story. Bruce also does not live at the Manor. He lives in a large suburban home. There is no bat cave. In a later comic, he purchased the home outside Gotham City that later became known as Wayne Manor and had the bat cave below._

Robin: The Boy Wonder

A retelling of the 1940 Origin Story (expanded version)

Our scene . . . A rising young town outside of the big city where the Haly Circus plays an engagement. Inside the big tent, the Flying Graysons, Father, Mother and young son Dick swing on the flying trapeze.

Dick Grayson is a young dare devil, attempting feats and tempting fate that most eight year olds only dream about. He is a professional and he's been working the trapeze with his parents, John and Mary since he was four years old.

"That's it Dick, get your momentum up," his father John Grayson stated as Dick's mother watched.

Dick swings out and when he was ready, he released the bar. He tightened into a ball then spun in the air. He turned concentrating on the move. He barely heard the crowd counting the revolutions before he stretched out and reached for his father's hands. Their wrists locked as his father's strong arms caught him.

The crowd erupted into applause. He had done it, as he had done it countless times before. He had succeeded in doing the quadruple summersault. Dick returned to the platform and waved to the crowd. He climbed down the ladder to the saw-dusted surface below and for a brief moment watched his parents perform their death defying part of the program.

Dick wrapped a towel around his neck, satisfied with his performance. He headed down the makeshift corridor leading from the big tent. His part of the act over, the boy walks past Mr. Haly's room when he hears voices.

"And if you pay us, we protect you. Get it Haly?"

"Yes! I get it. You're gangsters! It's a protection racket! I'll call the police!"

"You don't want to die, do you? Be sensible. Pay us and protect the show from 'Accidents.'"

"Get out! Get out!"

"Okay buddy! It's your funeral. 'Accidents' WILL happen."

Before the two men spotted him, Dick rounded a corner. He peaked back to take a look. One man wore a pinstriped suit and appeared to have a scar on his cheek while the second wore a dark suit with a red hat. He had a cigarette in his mouth. Both had mean rugged faces. Dick ran back to his parent's circus wagon, preparing to tell them about the gangsters, but they weren't there. Then he remembered this was a special performance. Even so, he could not help thinking about the gangsters. He raced back to the tent and breathed a sigh of relief. His parents' performance was over. They approached him with smiles and ruffled his hair.

The next night . . . In the audience . . . Bruce Wayne, The Batman enjoys the show, but what has brought our young socialite to see an itinerate circus? To learn we must go back a few days before. Someone was shaking down small businesses in Gotham City. These gangsters had not been seen in the city before. Runners from a rival gang from a small rising city nearby were trying to spread into his territory. The Batman had been trying to protect the citizens of his city from such criminals.

The Batman dropped down, cornering a small man in the alley.

"Tell me who's trying to muscle in," he growled. The Batman had been trying to find out for weeks without success. This time, his luck was about to change.

The cowardly cretin shivered before the dark and menacing figure. "His . . . his name's Boss Zucco. He . . . he controls Newtown. He'd kill me if he knew I was talking to you."

"Why is he trying to spread into Gotham City?" The Batman demanded.

"He's not satisfied. He wants a piece of Gotham."

"What's he planning next?"

"He . . . he wants to make an example," the squealing mousy man replied.

"With whom?"

"Some circus coming to town."

"Why would he choose a circus for an example?" Batman questioned, but the sniveling informant didn't answer. "Why!" The Batman shook the man until his teeth rattled.

"Because . . . because it would be big news."

The Batman shoved a wad of bills into the informant's hand then left the cowering figure to his own devices. The Batman would have gone after the circus, warn them of the impending doom that awaited, but he had no real proof that Boss Zucco was really planning on making a move on a traveling circus that held little interest to such people. And it would look strange for The Batman to take an interest in a traveling circus without due cause. He would have to investigate this another way. What would Boss Zucco do at a circus? It would be three more nights before he would find out.

Continues With Part 2


	2. Chapter 2

Robin: The Boy Wonder

A retelling of the 1940 Origin Story (expanded version)

Part 2

Bruce Wayne sat in the audience, enjoying the show. So far he had not seen anything out of the ordinary. Coming into this as Bruce Wayne allowed him to investigate unnoticed. He was just another face in the crowd. The show was almost over. There was only one more act to go, the highlighted act that had been displayed on posters all over town. He was still wondering how Zucco was going to use the circus to make an example. It seemed inconceivable. And with the show winding down, he wondered what kind of threat would get everyone's attention. Bruce Wayne's attention was brought back to the center of the show when the last act was announced.

He watched as the trapeze act, the highlight of the evening, made their way to the center of the single ring. They bowed then moved apart to the two ladders on either end. The woman headed to the catcher's bar while the boy and his father moved to the other side. The young family reminded Bruce of his own family long ago. He watched the youngest of the aerialists do his performance, the quadruple summersault awing him and the audience. The kid was good, real good. And he was doing it without a net. Bruce kept his eyes on the youngest until he came down the ladder and was safely on the ground.

"And now that young Dick Grayson is safe below. The rest of The Flying Graysons will perform their death defying act . . . The triple Spin!

The crowd was hushed as John Grayson prepared himself. The drums rolled . . . Grayson flies out, turns over three times and straightens out.

'Nicely done, John," Mary commented as she grasped her husband's wrists.

Suddenly, the ropes part.

"JOHN!"

"MARY!"

"Th-they'll be killed!"

"MOTHER! FATHER!"

Dick watched horrified as his parents fell to earth. The audience screamed as the two aerialists came tumbling down to hit the ground in the center of the ring with a sickening thud. Those circus performers on the fringe rushed to the fallen pair and examined their bodies. A lone figure seeing the stricken boy and the two lifeless figures could not help recall his own parents' death. No one saw him slip from the crowd.

Circus performers surrounded the two still figures. The clowns, whose tears were fake now had genuine tears on their cheeks. The boy whose parents had fallen approached the ringmaster.

"Are . . . Are th-they . . . Oh n-no they . . ."

"I'm afraid so, son," The ringmaster said, as he tried to keep his own tears from falling.

Tears of anger and anguish filled Dick Grayson as it sunk in even more so that he was the only one left of the Flying Graysons. His parents were gone. Remembering the threat that had been made the day before, he wondered could those men have meant this? He had to find out. After changing out of his performance clothes, he made his way to Haly's office. The two men were once again talking to Haly. He moved up to the door to listen.

"Too bad about that accident."

"Yeah! But there wouldn't be any accidents if you paid us to protect you."

"You murderers! All right, I'll pay. But only so no one else will be killed."

Dick could not believe what he was hearing. "They killed my Mother and Father! I'm going to the police!"

"No, son. Not yet."

"Wha . . . Who?" Dick turned to see a dark figure dressed in a cape and a mask that covered nearly his whole head. Only his mouth and chin were visible.

'I'm the Batman. I want to help you get those murderers. They put acid on the trapeze ropes. But you can't go to the police. Come with me and I'll tell you why."

Dick followed the caped figure. The man led him to a black car hidden in the fringe of a grove of trees not far from the big top. Dick climbed into the passenger seat. The cowled man didn't say a word until they left the area. Only then did Dick dare to ask his question.

"Why can't I tell the police?"

"Because this whole town is run by Boss Zucco. If you told what you knew, you'd be dead in an hour. I'm going to hide you in my home for a while."

The Batman thinks back to the time when his parents too were innocent victims of a crime.

"My parents too were killed by a criminal. That's why I devoted my life to exterminate them."

"Then I want to also," Dick said with conviction. "Take me with you."

Dick Grayson's words struck a cord within the Batman. He heard the anger behind them, the rage that fueled them. This boy reminded him of himself, not just in age, but in determination. And yet the boy had a home, a family that cared for him, the Circus. He could not ask the boy to give that up. The Batman was reluctant, but the troubled face of the boy moves him deeply.

"Well, I guess you and I were both victims of a similar trouble. All right. I'll make you my aid, but I warn you, I lead a perilous life."

"I'm not afraid," Dick replied, his eyes steady, his face showing no fear.

The Batman could sense that the lad was telling the truth. In this instance, he wasn't afraid. "Maybe he should be," The Batman thought. Though from this moment, something inside the man changed. He no longer felt so alone in his fight. He hoped though this wasn't some mistake that could end in tragedy.

Continues with Part 3


	3. Chapter 3

Robin: The Boy Wonder

A retelling of the 1940 Origin Story (expanded version)

Part 3

The rest of the drive was done in silence. The Batman pulled his car into the darkened garage of his home. The boy emerged and stood still not knowing what to expect.

"Come with me."

Batman led the curious boy into the house and into the darkened study. He lit a candle sitting on the table. It was the only light in the otherwise deep gloom of the room. He pulled out a special book and set it on the table. Batman placed his hand on it. That night two grim figures take an undying oath.

"And swear that we two will fight together against crime and corruption and never swerve from the path of righteousness."

Dick Grayson placed his smaller hand on top of the gloved hand of the masked figure that stood before him. "I swear it!" He said with deep conviction.

After reciting their oath together, Batman turned on the small light in the room to dispel the gloom. He made certain that the curtains were drawn tight. He pulled out an old trunk from a closet. He noticed Dick Grayson looking around at the large number of books in the library that the man kept. Batman could all but see the wheels spinning in the boy's mind questioning who was The Batman.

"Now that we both have sworn an oath, I have one more secret that must be kept at all cost, my identity." The Batman removed his cowl and faced the boy.

"You . . . You're the man in the audience that Pop Haly fussed over. That's why our . . . the performance ran late." Dick corrected himself at the last minute.

"My name is Bruce Wayne."

"Gosh," Dick was astounded. He remembered as the circus troop was arriving in Newtown to perform, he heard talk of a very rich person who would be visiting the circus. He hadn't caught the name, but his parents had encouraged him to do his best. Was this the rich man? He would soon learn just how rich Mr. Wayne was and what it meant for him.

Soon after taking the oath, Bruce Wayne took Dick Grayson shopping. New clothes were bought along with a few more items. He contacted the circus and made inquiries about the boy whose parents were kill. They had been frantic about Dick Grayson's disappearance.

"Mr. Wayne, can I ask why you are interested in the boy?"

"I can offer a home for him. He can become my ward. My own parents were killed and I can understand what the boy is going through."

"Then by all means Mr. Wayne, we cannot take the boy with us. The law prohibits us from having a parentless child on our payroll."

"What will happen to his things and those of his parents?"

"We can store them until he comes to claim them later," Mr. Haly stated. "Do you know where Dick is perchance? We feared he ran away and is lost." Haly's words sounded shakey as if he was in fear of his own life.

"He's with a good friend of mine and safe from harm."

"Good," Haly stated. "And thank you." He was relieved that the boy had a place to go. At least the circus was leaving and they would not have to pay Zucco's extortion money. They would return to Europe. He was going to have to search for a new act to replace the Graysons. They had been his top-performing act. And they literally were going to be a tough act to follow.

Now that the boy's home life was taken care of, Bruce had to see to the boy's training. It was going to take several weeks, maybe even months, but what he had seen of the lad Dick was already a capable athlete. They would start with the one thing the boy knew best.

After changing, they entered Bruce's private gymnasium. Dick's eyes were wide when he saw the setup, including the trapeze. He didn't expect to find something like this in a house, though the house was large. He wanted to climb up there so badly, but at the same time, his heart ached for his parents. Bruce noticed the look in Dick's eyes.

"Go ahead. Let's see what you can do again."

Dick climbed to the top of the ladder and leapt outward. He grabbed for the bar. "I've been doing this since I was four years old."

"As far as swinging on ropes go, you could probably teach me a trick or two," Bruce said impressed.``

The next day, Bruce showed Dick how to use the small speed bag. Dick was going to need to know how to throw a punch. A punching bag also helped to develop speed.

"And then you sort of snap your punch and put your shoulder behind it. Do it right and you can hit as hard as any featherweight champ."

"Like this?" Dick copied Bruce in every way hitting the speed bag just as Bruce was doing.

As the days and weeks progressed, Bruce included martial arts training, such as jiu jitsu. One day Dick managed to toss Bruce over his shoulder.

"That's it . . . Now I'll teach you another trick."

And thus Dick Grayson, by the hand of fate is transformed into that astounding phenomenon. That young Robin Hood of today . . .

Robin: The Boy Wonder

Continues with Part 4


	4. Chapter 4

Robin: The Boy Wonder

A retelling of the 1940 Origin Story (expanded version)

Part 4

Many months later, after strenuous work and study, two figures meet in the study, one a socialite whose night life is unusual, and a boy whose former life was gone and a new life awaited that would be more exciting than he ever dreamed.

"Well now that I'm ready, what's our next move?" Dick asked.

"Now Dick, we're going to go back to the small town and go to work. You're going to get a job as a newsboy and . . ."

Bruce laid out his plans while Dick listened, even adding his own opinions and suggestions. Soon they had fleshed out a plan where each knew what was required and what roles they would be playing in this drama.

The next day, a new grubby, dirty-faced kid joined the newsboys of the small town.

"Here ya are! Get your papers! Papers!" the disguised Dick Grayson called out.

During that first day, nothing happened. Dick went back to the small cottage that Bruce had rented to give him his report.

"No one's approached me yet. Are you sure they will?"

"Give it time, Dick. You've only been doing this for one day."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'm not used to doing something like this."

"You'll do fine. Get some sleep. Newsboys have to be up early to get their newspapers."

"Okay, goodnight Bruce."

As Dick went to bed, Bruce lit his pipe and contemplated on what had to happen next. Dick's part was vital. Only he could get the information he needed to take down Boss Zucco. He only hoped Dick was prepared to handle the next phase of their plan.

The next day, Dick was once again peddling papers when this time two people approached him. One was an older boy and the other, a man smoking a cigarette. The boy looked like he was keeping an eye out for some reason.

"A new kid around, aren't you?"

"Yeah! Why!" Dick cried out trying to appear tougher than he felt. Even in the circus he had to handle a few bullies, but these guys looked really tough.

The older boy grabbed Dick by the shirt. "Every kid that sells newspapers gives us a third of their take every week!"

"And you ain't no exception. Get this, if we catch you holding out, we'll beat you up and take away your papers."

"I'll pay! I'll pay!" Dick didn't have to act frightened. He hadn't dealt with someone like that before. Even so, he had to report to Bruce about what happened and asked him what their next plans were. Dick had to remember he was trained by the Batman to be able to handle these guys if he had to. As soon as the older boys left, he went about his business then after the day was done, he returned back to the small cottage where Bruce was staying.

"And they said they would collect from me tomorrow."

"Good! Continue to act frightened so that they don't suspect you. Now listen . . . "

Bruce laid out the next step in their plans. He outlined Dick's part carefully.

"It's important that we learn where their base of operation is located. Do you think you can remember everything?"

"I'll do my best," Dick stated.

"Very good. Better get some shuteye. You have a paper route to attend to."

He next night, the two older boys came up to Dick. Both were smoking.

"So, you gonna pay us, eh?" One of the guys blew smoke in Dick's face.

"Y-yes, sure! Now you won't beat me up will you?" Dick asked as he stuck his hand in his pocket to retrieve the money.

"Nah, you just keep paying us and you'll be okay."

The two older boys left after collecting their share. Dick watched from the shadows as they climbed into a car at the end of the street. The car wasn't that hard to spot. It was a garish bright red and it wouldn't be hard to follow.

"The Batman told me to follow them, so here goes."

Dick did his best to follow the car. The car made several stops along the way, stopping to shake down other newsboys. After it was finished with its rounds, the car turned onto a quiet residential street, one where you would not suspect possible criminal activity was happening. Dick watched as the car parked in the driveway and three people got out, the two who shook him down for money as well as the driver.

'Well, they went into that house over there,' Dick thought. 'I better see what I can hear.'

Dick took to the shadows once more and crept toward an open window. He could hear voices. He tried to peek inside without being seen. There were four men in a group, along with the older boys. And at the desk stood a very large man smoking a cigar, huffing on it like it was a chimney. On the desk were several small piles of cash that had been collected. The large man did not look happy.

"Well, Boss, there it is, the take of the week!"

"It isn't enough!" Boss Zucco complained. "See, you got to get more money out of our customers, see. I want you to go to the butchers, the tailors, laundries, and the rest and milk them dry, see! All of them, get it, see! Even the newsboys and the rest of the small stuff! And if they don't play ball, you know what to do, see! Start tomorrow night!"

Dick swiftly crept away from the window and melted back into the shadows.

'Tomorrow night! Wow! I better tell the Batman right away!"

Continues with Part 5


	5. Chapter 5

Robin: The Boy Wonder

A retelling of the 1940 Origin Story (expanded version)

Part 5

The next night at the tailor shop, two unsavory men entered determined to shake down the proprietor.

"But I can't pay you any more. I haven't got it!"

"GET IT!" The man in the green suit demanded as he grabbed the tailor and shook him.

"And if you don't . . ." The other man threatened.

The two men were so bent on their task neither men heard the bell that announced that someone new had come into the shop. The men were suddenly grabbed from behind by the neck by a pair of gloved hands. The tailor's eyes grew wide at what he saw beyond the two men. The Batman rammed the two men's heads together. "Hollow . . . Just as I thought."

The two thugs fell on the floor stunned.

"If you see Boss Zucco, tell him the Batman was here. Good day gentlemen."

In a butcher shop . . .

"Pay up our else you'll . . . What . . .?

The butcher's eyes went wide as an arm grabbed the thug. The man spun around right into the fist of the Batman. "Or else you'll get a sock in the jaw," he finished. "Tell Zucco I just dropped in to say 'Hello.' Au Revoir."

In a gambling house owned by Boss Zucco the Batman crashes through a window startling both patrons and those running the establishment.

"Pardon the intrusion, gentlemen!"

"It's the Batman!"

"GET HIM!"

Three men pulled out guns, though they weren't fast enough to use them.

"So, you want to play, eh? Well . . ."

With his strong powerful muscles trained to perfection, the Batman lifted a heavy gambling table over his head and tossed it into the crowd of men.

" . . . Here's a roulette table to play with!"

The Batman swept through the room like a cyclone, overturning gambling tables and upsetting slot machines. Money was flying everywhere.

"He's throwing all the money on the floor!"

"The money!"

"Get it!"

With the Batman fighting the gangsters and no on to stop them, the gambling crowd runs amuck grabbing the money. Fortunes that were lost were regained. Some even doubling what they lost at the tables.

"A hundred dollar bill! Whoopie! Here's a chance to get back what I lost!"

"They're taking all the dough!"

"They're wrecking the place! Wait till Zucco hears about this!"

"Adieu, gentlemen. I hope I haven't caused any disturbance," The Batman said as he exited through a different window from when he first entered.

One right after the other, the Batman targeted businesses that Zucco's men were determined to extort payment. Outside a laundry store, two men were booted out the door.

"And tell Zucco he needs a little cleaning himself."

And in the stores holding Zucco's slot machines . . .

"But what will I tell Zucco's men?"

"Just say the Batman!" Batman said as he took an axe to the machine, destroying the mechanism, coins spilling onto the floor like a silver fountain.

An hour later, Zucco was pacing and puffing on his cigar, listening to the devastation that one man had brought to his empire.

"And then the Batman . . ."

"The Batman! Shut up about the Batman, see!" Zucco huffed and puffed on his cigar, throwing up smoke and dropping ashes as he paced the room. 'That guy walks in and out of my places and nobody stops him! I'm boss of this town, see! No one can do that to me, see!"

"Say, Boss. This package just came by express for ya."

"Well, Blade, open it up! Open it up!"

The package was small, the size of a shoebox. As the lid was removed something flew out of it.

"Well I'll be . . . A bat!"

"It must be from the Batman," Zucco exclaimed. He did not want to admit upon seeing the creature it had spooked him badly. His attention was returned however when another of his men noticed something else.

"Look! There's a note inside the box."

Zucco opened the note and read the contents.

"Get out of town, Zucco. I know you are also trying to get protection money from the company that is putting up the Canin Building. Stay away. I'm protecting that building from your protection mob."

The symbol of the Batman clearly marked in the lower right corner.

Boss Zucco was incensed. He rammed his hat on top of his head. The bat flying around the room was forgotten. 'Oh yeah! I'm the boss of this town, see! No one can talk to me like that and get away with it! C'mon boys. We're going to the Canin Building. I'm still Boss Zucco, see!"

"I gotcha Boss!"

Upon seeing the man responsible for his parent's deaths, a colorfully clad figure jumped into action. As the car left, riding on the tire rack, Robin the Boy Wonder.

'The Batman's plan worked! Zucco is so mad he's going to do the job personally.'

The young daredevil's anger rose as they drew closer. He wasn't about to let Boss Zucco get away with murder. Batman's thoughts came to the forefront of his mind.

"Don't try to go after him yourself. Boss Zucco is a dangerous man. Stick to the plan."

Robin's anger though was fierce and he pushed Batman's words aside preparing to take down Zucco on his own.

Continues with Part 6


	6. Chapter 6

Robin: The Boy Wonder

A retelling of the 1940 Origin Story (expanded version)

Part 6

The Canin Building, a steel and concrete structure rising up to scrape the sky. The edifice is a monument to man's achievement in construction. A car pulled up to the front and several men got out. Boss Zucco gazed upward. The building was a thing of marvel for its time, but Canin had to be convinced to buy in with him or see his precious building tumble to the ground.

Zucco led his men to the back of the building and to the elevator. Blade gave a nod and broke off. He headed to where the night watchman was doing his rounds. A few minutes later, he returned to the elevator.

"Okay, I tied up the watchman," Blade said.

"Good!" Zucco said. "You stay down here as guard. Now, I'm going to convince Canin he should pay up. Bring the dynamite boys."

As the elevator filled up with Zucco and his men a small figure crept forward. He waited until the elevator started moving. As Zucco and his men go up, suddenly streaking from the shadows, the figure is revealed to be Robin the Boy Wonder.

"Hey," Blade cried as he spied the young dare devil. He started to pull a gun when Robin tackled him. Blade's head hit a nearby girder.

"Sorry guy, but I'm going up."

Robin leapt up to the elevator and grabbed onto a beam on the undercarriage. When they reached the top, Robin swung over to another girder to hide in the shadows while Zucco outlined his plan.

"Now, We'll just blow the top of the building to scare Canin into paying. And if he don't, the next time . . ."

As the moon rose, its bright light illuminated the youth.

"Boss look! Over there! Someone on the girder!"

"Shoot him!"

Robin moves just in time. As a shot whistles past, Robin takes a stone from his belt and places it in a queer looking instrument. The sling shot. The men continue to fire their weapons, trying to get a bead on the colorful figure. Like David fighting Goliath, Robin fights the gangsters. The sling whirls above his head when he suddenly lets the stone fly . . .

"BULLSEYE!"

The stone hits its mark. With one target taken care of Robin spied another. With powerful legs he makes an amazing leap out into space and grabs the chain holding the hook of the construction crane. He makes a sweeping swing and the young daredevil lands among the murdering gunmen.

"W-Why it's only a kid!"

The men try to grab ahold of the young dare devil to subdue him, but Robin is far more than what he seems. Using his knowledge of jui-jitsu taught by Batman, the plucky boy puts up a stiff fight against overwhelming odds. Suddenly, Robin slips. With a super effort the boy wonder twists and manages to catch hold of a lower girder, but danger waited below. One of Zucco's men takes advantage of the trapped youth.

"Slipped, eh kid? Tsk, Tsk! Well, you're going to slip some more after I stamp on your fingers!"

The gangster approached Robin grinning broadly, bent on his murderous task. As the gangster stepped on Robin's fingers the wonder boy twists his body up and around the girder. The gangster is unaware of his how peril.

"Say your prayers, buddy!"

A surprised look appeared on the gunman's face as he is kicked off the girder into space. Robin pulled himself up only to come face to face with Zucco and his men. The heavy-set gangster boss pointed a gun at the young daredevil.

"A wise kid, eh? Let's see you get out of this."

Robin stared down the gangster, not letting him see his fear. Movement from behind caught his eye, but he gave no indication or warning.

"Mind if I join the party, Zucco? So sorry to drop in unexpectedly this way."

Swinging through the air, the Batman landed on the gangster as he fired his gun, spoiling his aim.

"What pleasure this gives me, you'll never know," Batman exclaimed as he hit Zucco in the jaw.

Fearing for his life, Blade, Zucco's second, took off running. A rope suddenly loops about Blade and jerks him off the girder. The gangster struggled to free himself, but to no avail, his fear of the Batman evident. As the gangster dangled, the Batman produced a small vial.

"Do you know what's in the vial Blade? It's acid . . . The same acid that you put on the trapeze of the Flying Graysons . . . And it's going to eat away the rope unless you sign a confession naming names."

"I'll confess! Pull me up! Pull me up!"

Zucco watched the exchange with growing hatred. The Batman pulled Blade up to the platform. From his utility belt he produced a sheet of paper and a pen. Blade took the pen and scrolls his signature at the bottom making a full confession. As Batman reads the paper, Blade implicates his boss.

"It was Zucco who put me up to it! I swear it!"

"You dirty squealer!"

Rage filled the heavy-set gangster boss and he pushed the Batman aside. The crazed Zucco lunged at Blade, tearing him from Batman's grasp.

"RAT!" Zucco shoved his second out into space.

"YAAA!"

"Snap it Robin!"

Sitting on a girder, hanging by a crane, the boy wonder called back. "Got it!" Several faint clicks could be heard.

That's enough Robin. We've got all the evidence we need."

Batman held Zucco in his grasp.

"What evidence?" Zucco was oblivious to what just happened. As far as he was concerned, eliminating Blade eliminated the confession he just made.

"I had the boy bring a camera just in case. He snapped you pushing off Blade! He film and the confession will be sent to the Governor. 'Boss' Zucco, your boss will be the electric chair!"

Zucco's face paled.

Days later newsboys around Newtown as well as Gotham City were shouting out the latest news.

"Extra! Zucco guilty of murder! Governor to clean up city politics!"

"Extra! Zucco sentenced to electric chair for murder!"

Bruce approached Dick that same day.

"Well Dick, now that your parents' deaths have been avenged, are you going back to the circus life?"

The answer that Dick gave him wasn't totally unexpected.

"No, I think Mother and Dad would like me to go on fighting crime. And as for me . . . well . . . I love adventure!"

"Okay, you reckless young squirt. I ought to whale you for jumping those men alone. Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Aw! I didn't want to miss any of the fun! Say, I can hardly wait till we go on our next case. I bet it will be a corker!"

End

HAPPY 75TH ANNIVERSARY ROBIN!


End file.
